


Legend Has It

by samrenee2010



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2018-01-04
Packaged: 2019-01-19 09:16:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12407499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/samrenee2010/pseuds/samrenee2010
Summary: Jyn Erso begins her freshmen year at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, chasing a dream of becoming an actress as well as chasing her past to try and recreate a relationship with her long estranged father, Galen.  Cassian Andor is a senior, destined for Broadway, and when Jyn becomes his unexpected and unwelcome partner for his final project, the two find themselves heading in a direction they never expected to be in, especially not together.





	1. Chapter 1

**Legend Has It  
Chapter 01**

_“This city just screams black magic_  
_And the threat to my heart got traction_  
_Maybe should’ve never started this path_  
_Every time I get a chance to advance it’s backwards_  
_No thanks to my very own actions”_  
-Run the Jewels, “ _Sea Legs_ ” 

It had long been Jyn Erso’s dream to be accepted to the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. While there were plenty of good drama schools in England, she knew the best way to make a career for herself was to go to the States and find a way to get her foot in the door.  Tisch was a notoriously popular school with many famous graduates.  And while many other schools would have her, as evident by her many acceptance letters, it was the acceptance letter from Tisch that made all of the others seem completely irrelevant.

Jyn had another reason for wanting to come to Tisch in particular.  Her father, Galen, worked there.  Though they were long estranged, she hoped to reconnect with him somehow through being at this school.  Whether or not he knew she was coming was unknown to her.  And whether or not her acceptance had anything to do with Galen being her father… well, that worried her some.  She wanted to be accepted by her own volition.  Tisch had a very rigorous admissions process, so she liked to believe she hadn’t just slid through because of her last name.

In any event, she knew she was leaving her foster family in late August and had counted down the days ever since she received that fateful letter.  A career in the business was so close she could almost feel it.  Getting on a plane from London to New York had been difficult since she would definitely miss her family, but she knew great things lay ahead of her over the coming years at University.  With her bags, she boarded the plane and after several hours in the air she was in the City That Never Sleeps.

New York was loud, and a lot dirtier than she imagined.  Hailing a cab was no small feat but she’d somehow managed to get one to take her to the NYU campus.  Checking in to the dorms took quite awhile considering it was move-in day, but she eventually made her way up to the room where she met her roommate.  She seemed like a nice girl but way too girly for Jyn’s taste.  Besides, she wasn’t here to make friends.  That sounded pretty stereotypical, but alas it was true.  Jyn had no interest in getting close to people here… except her dad.  Hopefully they had a chance to reconnect.

The next day she gathered in the auditorium with all of the other incoming freshmen to hear a welcoming speech from the Dean of the school, Orson Krennic.  The man was a legend, having graduated from the school in the late eighties and gone on to star in many Broadway shows before taking up teaching at his alma mater.  Krennic was apparently very good friends with her father, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he had something to do with her acceptance _and_ whether her father knew since their association made it more likely.

While other students were gathering in, Jyn tried to get comfortable in her aisle seat, though it was near impossible with people filtering in every five seconds.  Fortunately it got down to where there was one seat available right next to her and entering on her side would be the only feasible way to get in.

“Excuse me,” someone eventually said.  She looked over and met the eyes of a young Middle Eastern Asian boy with a British accent like hers.  “Is that seat taken?”

Jyn shook her head.  “No, it’s open.”  She pulled herself in for the last time, hopefully, and allowed him to squeeze through.

Once he was seated, he said, “Thanks.”  Then he extended his hand to her. “My name is Bodhi.  Bodhi Rook.”

She hesitated for a moment, but decided not to be a total bitch.  “Jyn Erso,” she replied, shaking his hand briefly before retracting it and turning her attention back to the stage.

“You’re from England,” Bodhi said.

Internally, Jyn groaned a little.  Way to point out the obvious…  But also she wasn’t in the mood to engage in small talk with another student.  “I am,” she said simply without looking at him.

“Me too.”

“You don’t say,” she said, her voice dripping in sarcasm.

Bodhi didn’t seem to notice though.  That right there was alarming.  Surely the boy knew something about sarcasm whether he was an acting student or not.  “I’m from Wembley.  What about you?”

“Birmingham,” she replied still trying to make it very obvious she wasn’t interested in small talk.

“Oh, nice,” he said.  “I’m glad to know I’m not the only Brit here.”

“I’m sure there are plenty more of us,” she said, trying not to sound as annoyed as she was but couldn’t help herself.  Jyn hardly doubted they were the only British students here.

“So what program are you in?” Bodhi asked.  “I’m in Film & Television.  I’m hoping to be a director one day.”

It was incredibly hard not to laugh at that, but Jyn managed to choke it back.  This kid, a director?  That was laughable.  “Drama,” she answered.  “I’m an actress.”

“Oh, I see,” he said.  “Theater, film?”

“Whatever I can get my hands on.”

With that said, they were interrupted—much to Jyn’s relief—by applause as several people moved onto the stage.  Taking the podium was an Australian man in his mid-forties whom everyone in the room knew was definitely Dean Krennic.  Jyn applauded, less enthusiastically than Bodhi beside her, and watched as the faculty sat down behind the Dean.  Once the applause died down, Dean Krennic began his speech.

“Welcome, Artists, to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts!” he began, rousing up more applause from the group of incoming freshmen in the audience.  “I’m Orson Krennic, the Dean of this magnificent institute, and I am just thrilled to be here with you all today as you begin one of the most important journeys of your lives.  Today you are no longer amateur actors, directors, writers, etc.  You are the very best and brightest of them, with real ambition to rise to the top of your crafts.  None of you would be here without the hard work and dedication you’ve put into your passions thusfar.  And you should all congratulate yourselves on passing the very first step—getting acceptance to our elite group.”

Jyn wanted to roll her eyes as applause rang out again.  She joined in only out of respect, but found that all of this was pretty cheesy and clearly scripted.  Surely he gave this same speech every year to all the new freshmen.

While Krennic continued to speak, she scanned the stage for someone familiar… someone who was no doubt older looking than he was in old pictures she had, but whom she was sure she would recognize.

And then… she saw him.  Galen.  Her father, sitting right behind Krennic.

He didn’t look much different.  His hair was grey now, or more grey than it had been when she last saw him ten years old.  His face had matured but he was still the father she had once loved and relied on; the one who called her ‘Stardust’ and said he did everything to protect her.

So why had he left England and given her to be looked after by a foster family?  Why hadn’t he tried to contact her even once since then?

“Tomorrow as classes begin you will start on the path to becoming the very best in your fields,” he continued.  “Not all of you will make it out on the other side with a degree at the end of these four years.  Some of you will leave us in that time for whatever reason.  You may find early success.  You may find that this is not what life really had in store for you and you leave to pursue another path.  Others… will flunk out.  But know this: no matter what, we—” he gestured towards the faculty behind him, “are here to help you succeed and be the _best_ you can possibly be.  So enjoy—and best of luck to all of you!”

One final round of applause before Jyn sprung up from her seat and nearly sprinted towards the exit.  She ran around the halls to find where the faculty would be leaving the stage, hoping to find her father and surprise him.  Of course… the “surprise” part might not be that big of a surprise.  It wasn’t like he’d tried to contact her, though, so it was more than likely he had no idea she was even here; that she’d been coming in the first place.

She found the door where several faculty members were slowly pouring out and hoped she wasn’t too late to catch her father.  Standing back a ways, she bounced nervously while she waited to see in the sea of faces if he would emerge.  It had been a decade since she’d last spoken to him.  She wondered if he would even be happy to see her.

Then, the very last two people out were Krennic and her father.

Jyn pushed through a few people to get to them before they could get away.  They started off in the opposite direction which made things a little more difficult, but eventually she found a clearing and ended up several paces behind him.

“Galen?”

Both of the men stopped, though Galen’s posture was much more tense than Krennic’s.  They both turned around, and Galen’s eyes widened as he laid eyes on her.  Jyn grinned, though very nervous, and tried not to get emotional about it.  She couldn’t quite get a reading on what he was feeling.  His face was blank.  Shocked, but blank.

“It’s me,” she said.  “It’s Jyn.”

Much to Jyn’s disappointment, after all of the silence, Galen wasn’t the one who spoke.  Krennic did.  He smiled and came over to shake her hand.  “Ms. Erso, what a pleasure to finally meet you.  I’m Orson Krennic, the Dean of the school.”

Reluctantly Jyn shook his hand.  “Yes, Dean Krennic, your reputation precedes you.”

“Galen, your daughter is a spitting image of you,” he said.  “But I can definitely see quite a bit of Lyra in her as well.”  Hearing her mother’s name brought up made Jyn’s stomach turn in knots.  Lyra Erso had died when Jyn was nine, just a year before Galen had abandoned her and come to the States.  She hadn’t heard her name much since.

Her father looked to his friend.  “What’s going on here, Krennic?”  Both Jyn and Krennic looked at him with very different expressions.  “Why is she here?”  Those words punched Jyn in the gut, as if she didn’t feel queasy enough already.

“She applied to the school,” Krennic said.  “I thought you might have known.  Her audition was exceptional.  She has all the talent her father has and more.  I would’ve been a fool not to accept her.”

Something in Krennic’s tone sounded off to Jyn, though she couldn’t put her finger on why.  It was clear that Galen truly didn’t have any idea she was coming, but his friend had some ideas about admitting her… and whether or not he actually through her audition was “exceptional” was something she couldn’t yet call his bullshit on.

“I would have preferred she not come,” Galen said while looking at his friend.  “I should’ve been informed.”

Those words confirmed that Galen wasn’t happy to see Jyn.  His own little girl; his Stardust.  But why?  Did he not want her in his life anymore?  What was so bad about her coming here to study and hopefully jumpstart her career?

Krennic put a hand on Galen’s shoulder.  “Galen, Galen, Galen… it’s all for the best.  Surely you’ve missed your… what did you call her? ... your Stardust?  After all, it’s been ten years.  She’s your only child.”

Galen looked to Jyn.  It was hard for her to hold her emotions in, but she was an actress damn it and if she had to pretend like this wasn’t upsetting her then she would.

Finally… he answered Krennic’s question.  “No.  I haven’t missed her.  I don’t want her here.”

Then he walked away, shaking off Krennic’s hand.

Jyn felt broken on the inside.  Her entire world was shattering around her like it had a decade ago when her dad first left her.  Galen didn’t want to see her; didn’t even want a _relationship_ with her.  What the fuck?  What _happened_? 

Krennic looked to Jyn.  “I apologize.  I’ll speak with him.”

Shaking her head, Jyn said, “Don’t bother.”  Then she turned and ran away, beginning to cry as she did.

She ran as fast as her feet would take her, leaving the building and heading back to her dorm.  What she’d hoped would be a nice reunion, or at least better than it was, had turned out to be a complete shit show.  Her own father didn’t want a relationship with her.  And there was more to this than met the eye because it was obvious that the Dean was in on it.  Had she made a mistake by coming here?  Should she have gone to Los Angeles, or stayed in London, for drama school?  It was hard to say, but based on that initial interaction she had made a grave mistake by coming to Tisch.

On her way back to the dorms, tears in her eyes, she ran into someone in the courtyard—quite literally—and stumbled backwards.  Before she could fall down completely, the person she ran into grabbed her to help keep her balance.  “Whoa!  I got you!”

Jyn shook the person, a man, off.  “Don’t touch me!” she screamed through her tears.

The guy held his hands up in defense as he let go of her.  “Alright, alright, sorry.  Only trying to help.”

Jyn only cried harder, bending over and grabbing onto the fountain beside her.  She felt worthless and wanted to pack up and leave right now.  Her foster family would gladly take her back.  She could get on a plane to London tomorrow and go back to her old life.

“Hey,” the guy said, kneeling beside her.  “Are you okay?”

“Do I look okay?!” she shrieked.

“Stupid question, I know, but normally it’s used to get the person to start talking,” he said.  “But hey, I get it if you don’t want to talk to a stranger.  I just think a pretty girl shouldn’t be crying. … Not this early in the semester anyway.”

Jyn took a deep breath and looked up, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand.  She made eye contact with the man she’d run into who was trying to get her to calm down.  Kneeling beside her was a Hispanic man, probably a few years older than her, with a very thick accent that probably suggested he was from Mexico or something.  There was concern in his eyes, but also caution.  It seemed like all he wanted to do was help.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t.  So Jyn wasn’t going to bother explaining herself to him.  It wasn’t his business.  “I have to go,” she said, standing up.  Darting around her would-be “hero,” Jyn started back off for the dorms as fast as she could.

That left Cassian Andor watching her in confusion as she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I would give this a try. I'd attempted an in-universe fanfic before but I crashed with it. I'm much better at AUs. Will introduce just about everyone from Rogue One at some point in the story, possibly other characters from the Star Wars universe. Enjoy this? Leave some kudos. Comment to let me know you want more. Hoping this can work out better than my last try! =D


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jyn's roommate drags her to a club in Manhattan where she manages to get shitfaced and insult Cassian for no reason whatsoever. Also, the first day of classes arrive, and an unexpected visitor shows up.

**Legend Has It  
Chapter 02**

_“Anyone can see the road that they walk on is paved in gold  
And it’s always summer, they’ll never get cold  
They’ll never get hungry, they’ll never get old and grey”  
-_ Fastball _, “The Way”_

Jyn burst through the door of her dorm room and threw herself onto her bed.  She sobbed into the pillow and contemplated packing up and going home to London.  It seemed like her best option, especially if she wasn’t going to be welcomed here by Galen.  It had been a huge reason why she’d applied to Tisch in the first place.  Never mind the fact that it was an amazing school, she was now realizing that her dream of coming here had been riding on a relationship with her father working out.  And in the end, that wasn’t a very good reason for wanting to attend the school.

After her sobs calmed, she got up and started packing.  Fortunately she hadn’t unpacked much yet, but she would need to get all of her things back together and hail a cab to the airport to get the first flight she could back to England.  While she was doing this, the door opened and her roommate came back.  Jyn had forgotten her name, but it didn’t matter anymore.  She was leaving.  The girl would get a room all to herself.

“What are you doing?” her roommate asked.

“Packing,” she said without breaking her focus.  “I don’t belong here.”

“You’re _leaving_?” the girl asked.  “We haven’t even started classes yet!  How do you know you don’t belong here?  You haven’t even had a chance to fail.”

Jyn scoffed.  “Believe me, I have and I did.  I should never have come here in the first place.”  She shoved her clothes into her suitcase and slammed the top shut.

Her roommate came over and put a hand on her shoulder, which she shrugged off, but that didn’t stop the girl from trying to talk her out of it.  “Come on, Jyn, whatever it was couldn’t possibly be that bad.  We’ve been here a _day_.  There’s so much more time to make up for what’s about to happen to us.”

She stopped, took a deep breath, and then looked at the girl.  “It may have only been a day, but that was enough for me to find out that my father doesn’t want me here.”

The girl furrowed her brow.  “Who is your--… wait.  Erso?  Is your father _Galen_ Erso?”  Jyn nodded.  “Wow… why wouldn’t he want you here?”

Rolling her eyes, Jyn replied, “Look—” then stopped as she realized she didn’t have a name to properly address this girl by.  “Sorry, I don’t remember your name.  But long story short, my father abandoned me ten years ago.  I thought we could reconnect, but that’s not going to happen.  So I’m leaving.”

A frown crossed her roommate’s lips.  “He might not want you here, but surely you didn’t get in just because of your last name.  You had to have gotten in on your own volition, right?”

“I don’t know,” Jyn said.  “Dean Krennic seemed awfully suspicious about the whole thing.  It was like he kept it from my father for a reason.”

“Still, the audition process to get into this place is pretty damn hard,” the girl said.  “I think you’re giving yourself too little credit.  You’re here for your talent, even if you don’t think so.  The Dean isn’t the only person who approves of admissions.”

Jyn went back to packing.  “But it’s not even about being _here_ to learn to be a better actress.  I could go _anywhere_ to study, but I chose Tisch because my father was here.  I had stupid dreams and now I know they’ll never come true.”

“You don’t know that,” her roommate rebutted.  “You’ve barely been here long enough to give things a chance.  And if your father didn’t know you were coming, his reaction was an initial, emotional one.  It was irrational.  Seeing you again probably threw him off guard.  You should stick around to give him a chance, but if for no other reason than to just learn from the people here to get the tools you need to make it into your field.”

That was probably true, as much as Jyn didn’t want to admit it.  She wanted to believe she was right, but her roommate was an unbiased party in all of this.  And even if she didn’t want a different perspective, she needed one to bring her emotions back to level.  Jyn sighed and said, “You’re right.”

The girl smiled.  “So you’ll stay?”  Jyn nodded a few times, looking back to her suitcase afterwards.  Now she had to drag all of her crap out again.  Before she could do it, though, her roommate said, “It’s Shara, by the way.  Shara Bey.”

Jyn looked back to her.  “Shara.  Sorry.”  Now she wouldn’t forget her name, at least she hoped not.  And she’d better learn it if they were going to be roommates.

“It’s okay,” Shara said.  “You’re just emotional.  It’s perfectly normal given the circumstances.  But you never want to act on your impulses.”  Jyn knew she was right.  “Do you know what you need?  You need to go out with me tonight.  I’m going in to Manhattan to one of the clubs.  One last night of stress free fun before the semester begins.  It’ll be fun.”

She debated.  The club scene wasn’t really her thing, but she supposed she could use a drink… or two… or ten.  Sighing, Jyn replied, “Fine.  Only for the alcohol.  I don’t dance… not like that anyway.”

=

After re-unpacking and getting ready with Shara that day, Jyn left campus with her to venture into Manhattan where they ended up at one of the hottest clubs in the city.  Getting in with fake IDs that a friend of Shara’s hooked them up with was easier than Jyn could have imagined.  They were pretty legit looking (and feeling) so the bouncer was easily fooled.

It was loud, possibly too loud for Jyn’s taste, but she was here as a favor to Shara.  And she probably owed it to herself to let off some steam before her studies began.  They went over to the bar and ordered drinks.  Jyn settled on a cosmo while Shara got something called a… screaming orgasm.  (Jyn really couldn’t believe she’d heard that correctly.)

Shara tried multiple times to get Jyn to go dance with her, but Jyn was very insistent on staying at the bar and drinking.  Dancing still wasn’t her thing, even after consuming two cosmos and a shot of tequila.  Just as she was ordering her third cosmo, Shara spotted some people she clearly knew and waved them over.  “Jyn, you have to meet my friends!”  Jyn turned around, though it was mostly just to indulge Shara, and suddenly came face-to-face with her would be hero from the courtyard this morning.

“You,” she said.

The guy smiled.  “Me.”

Shara looked between them.  “You two know each other?”

Jyn shook her head, looking away awkwardly.  “No.”

He laughed.  “I saved her from falling on her ass this morning in the courtyard… after she collided with me on her way back to the dorm.”

“Oh, Cassian the hero, as always,” Shara said.  “Well, Jyn, this is Cassian Andor.”  Then she gestured to the guy beside him.  “And this is Kes Dameron.”  Kes nodded at her.  “Boys, this is Jyn Erso.”  They exchanged hellos before Shara asked, “Where’s Kai?”

“Oh he’s around here somewhere,” Cassian answered.  “You know him, never one to sit still.  Probably found himself a nice girl and… well, I’m not going to finish that thought.”

Shara laughed.  “That would be Kai’s style.”  She then changed the subject.  “I want to dance by Jyn’s refused me.  Either one of you willing to come to my rescue?”

Kes commented, “I thought you were a strong, independent woman that didn’t need no man to save you.”

“Hardy har,” Shara said.  Kes then extended his arm for her and led her to the dance floor.  Jyn watched them go, and then realized she was alone with Cassian.  Well… not _alone_ , but the only person she knew anything about had just left her to dance.

Cassian sat down on the stool beside her.  He ordered a Tom Collins and turned to Jyn.  “So are you ready to tell me what happened this morning?  Or will you politely tell me to fuck off and run away?”

“I didn’t tell you to fuck off,” Jyn said, getting a little defensive.

“Your attitude basically suggested it,” he told her.  “And you were upset, I understand that, but I was only trying to help.”

Jyn sighed.  “I understand that.  And I thank you.  I’m just not going to open up to some complete stranger about my problems.”  Although she supposed she already had earlier with Shara.  Even if at the time she had been planning to leave and figured she would never have to see her roommate again, she’d still done it.

“Fair enough,” Cassian conceded.

Then there was silence.

She wasn’t sure what to say.  She didn’t know Cassian, and socializing wasn’t really her thing.  Shara seemed to be way better at it than she was.  Jyn looked to the dance floor, getting a glimpse of Shara and Kes grinding up against one another, which suggested to her that they were more than friends.  There was dancing and then there was… _that_.

Looking back to Cassian, Jyn said, “So you… go to Tisch.”

Cassian chuckled.  “I do.  For the last three years.  One more year and then I’m off to bigger and better things.”

So he was a senior.  Jyn nodded.  “And what would those bigger and better things be?”

“The dream is Broadway, but I suppose I’m open to film.  The stage makes me more comfortable.  It’s where I feel at home.”

“You’re an actor,” she guessed.

“I am.”

“Me too.”

Cassian smiled.  “So what’s your preference, Jyn Erso?  Stage?  Film?”

She shrugged. “Whatever I can get.  I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get to do what I love.”  Cassian nodded.  Jyn then looked back over her shoulder at Shara and Kes.  “So… how do you know Shara?”

“She’s an old friend,” he replied.  “We’re both from Mexico but she moved to the States when she was… five?  Our families were always close and we visited her in Miami regularly.”

“And Kes?”

“I met Kes here our freshman year.  He was my roommate.  Shara came to visit that year and…” he glanced at them on the dance floor, “well, I guess they’ve had an ongoing dalliance ever since.”

Jyn looked away from Shara and Kes, feeling like she was invading something private between them even though they were all in a very public place.  She downed the rest of her drink and ordered another one.  At this point the alcohol was starting to affect her but that was kind of what she was going for.  She wanted to forget just how much it hurt seeing her father reject her to her face.  That was the reason she was here.  Not to dance, not to mingle… to drink.

Upon receiving her next drink, Jyn swallowed as much of it as she could.  It was working, numbing her feelings, and she would probably regret it in the morning when she had to go to class but she didn’t care.  Meeting Cassian’s eyes, she said, “You don’t have to sit here with me.  I’m sure there’s some other girl somewhere willing to spread her legs for you or whatever.”

His eyes widened.  “Excuse me?”

“I mean, that’s clearly what guys come here for isn’t it?  They come to drink and pick up an innocent girl, take her into the bathroom and fuck her.”

Cassian looked offended.  Jyn might’ve felt bad if she wasn’t intoxicated as all hell.  “Wow,” Cassian said.  “That’s pretty low.  I don’t know what happened to you today, but I think you’ve had one too many and Shara should probably take you back to the dorm.”

“Oh, fuck her,” Jyn said.  “Or I guess Kes will later.”  She went to get up and continued, “I can take myself home.”

Then she stumbled, almost falling to the ground, as she tried to stand up straight.

Cassian caught her.  “Right,” he said.  “I don’t think so.”  He helped her back onto the stool.  “I’ll get Shara.  Stay here.”

As Cassian disappeared, Jyn didn’t listen.  She stood up slowly, managing to find her balance, and finished off her last drink before throwing some money down in front of the bartender.  Then she wandered away, pushing through the crowd, as she went to find the exit… or the bathroom.  Whichever came first.

She managed to make her way outside and into a side alley where did her business, fortunately with no one around, and then didn’t bothering hailing a cab back to campus, instead opting to walk for lack of better judgment.  It was warm in Manhattan tonight, though given that it was late August it wasn’t very surprising.

Jyn was tired and very drunk as she walked, but kept going even though she really had no Earthly clue where she was going.  Truth was she hadn’t paid attention on the ride here, and even if she had her state of intoxication would have prevented her from remembering anyway.  At one point she stumbled just enough that she broke her heel and had to take her shoes off, abandoning them by tossing them into the street, lucky she didn’t hit a car.

At one point she heard her name but didn’t stop.  Suddenly someone was behind her, pulling her around.  “Jyn?”

If she didn’t know any better she would have thought it was the kid from the auditorium.  “Mmmm… Bentley?”

“Bodhi,” he corrected her.  “Jyn what are you doing out here?”

She giggled.  “Going back to campus.”

“Campus is in the opposite direction,” he informed her.  “And you shouldn’t be out here by yourself.  Come on, let’s get you back.”  Jyn protested a little, but Bodhi was stronger and more persistent than she would have given him credit for earlier in the day.  So she ended up in his car in the back seat, laying on her side and felt her stomach turn as the vehicle went in forward motion.

On the way back it was a miracle she didn’t vomit in the backseat of Bodhi’s car.  He stopped in front of her dorm and helped her to the door, getting the attention of a few girls in the lobby from outside, and had them help her in.  Jyn ended up spewing into a plant in the lobby, and that was the last thing she remembered before waking up in the morning in her bed.

She couldn’t even keep her eyes open, the light was painful, and there was a ringing in her ears that was quite possibly the most annoying sound she’d ever heard.  It didn’t go away, even as she tried to block it out by curling her pillow over her ears.  She groaned in pain, but it didn’t make her feel any better.  Jyn slowly tried to open her eyes to look at her surroundings, realizing she was indeed in her dorm, but couldn’t remember much from the night before.

Looking at the time, she saw it was nine-thirty.  She had a class at ten… lovely.  First day of classes and she was going to walk in there hung over and not remember shit.

Then Shara was there with a glass of water, a cup of coffee, and a bottle of Aspirin.  “You have some balls, don’t you, Jyn?”  She helped her sit up slowly and propped her up against the pillow.  “Here,” she said, shaking out two Aspirin into her hand and helping her drink the water.  “That should help you a little.  But you’re still gonna feel pretty rotten for most of the day.”  Shara took the glass of water away and switched it out for the coffee.

“How did I get here?” Jyn asked.

“Some guy dropped you off,” she answered.  “Bodhi, I think they said his name was.  He found you wandering Manhattan after you abandoned us at the club.  We searched for you for an hour before realizing you weren’t there anymore.  Thankfully the RA called and told me you had been brought back by another student.”

So Bodhi had come to her rescue.  She would have to thank him if she ran into him at some point.  Either he was incredibly naïve to her annoyance with him or he was a very forgiving guy.

Jyn groaned.  She felt like hell, but she had to go to class.  Missing the first day of class was bad form.  “What class is first again?” she asked, not even remembering which classes she had when, only that she knew she had one at ten o’clock.

Shara answered, “The class is with Professor Îmwe.  Intro to Acting.  And we’d better get going.  So gulp down that coffee and get dressed.”

Reluctantly, Jyn kicked off her covers and swung her legs around to the side of the bed, letting her feet hit the floor and finished off the rest of her coffee which probably burned the hell out of her mouth and throat but she didn’t care.  It was far less painful than her hangover.

When she threw on some new clothes, Jyn left the dorm with Shara to go to their first class.  She walked inside the classroom several minutes later and the two found seats together near the middle and off to the side.

And then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cassian walk in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not really going to have a time line for updating. Basically it will be whenever I finish a chapter.
> 
> I will also update the tags as needed based on the chapters. This includes characters I've added (like Kes and Shara for this one.)
> 
> But I want to thank all of you who've read so far! Getting even ONE person to read it is an accomplishment for me. Hope you enjoyed Chapter 2, and keep your eye out for Chapter 3!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jyn's first class turns out to be a personal disaster, and she finds yet another excuse to offend Cassian.

**Legend Has It  
Chapter 03**

_“You struggle and you fight and, yeah, you’re gonna bleed a lot_  
_So get your bloody ass up to the mark and then you take your shot_  
 _You’re only gonna get one chance to make the world aware_  
 _Of who you are and what you so do you had better come prepared_ ”  
-Simon Curtis, “ _Laser Guns Up_ ” 

_What is he doing here?_ Jyn thought.  Cassian was a senior wasn’t he?  Why would he be in an intro class?

Accompanying Cassian were about ten other students, including Kes, and they all walked up onto the stage.  Following them was a middle aged Chinese man who carried a staff with him for… what _appeared_ to be dramatic effect.  Fitting.

The man banged his staff on the stage three times to get everybody’s attention.  Jyn wasn’t paying much attention to him, though.  Her focus was on Cassian.  “Students, _I_ am Professor Chirrut Îmwe, and _this_ is Intro to Acting!”  He extended his free arm and moved off stage.  Cassian and the other students began a skit from what appeared to be Shakespeare but it wasn’t anything _Jyn_ was familiar with… and she was _very_ well versed in the Bard of Avon.

When the skit ended, Jyn applauded with the rest of the students.  Chirrut returned to the stage, also applauding, while the students on the stage took their bows.  “Excellent!  Freshmen, the seniors have come here today to help you work on your very first project for the semester.  They’ve just acted out one of the scenes of it – _Still Star-Crossed_ by Melinda Taub, a sequel to William Shakespeare’s _Romeo & Juliet_.”

Well no _wonder_ she didn’t know what it was.

“In return, you will be assisting the seniors in their own projects,” Chirrut continued.  “They will be your mentors and guides throughout this year.  All seniors are required to do a project showcasing their biggest strengths and highlighting what they are hoping to do when they walk out of here in May with a degree.  They are who you will be in four years, and you should aspire to be them.”

Jyn rolled her eyes.

“This first day of class will be an audition process,” he continued.  “You will all be reading a scene with an upperclassman, while the rest of them, and your peers, will watch on.  This will determine which role you’ll receive in this semester’s project.  Our star pupil, Cassian Andor, will be reading with the women, while our dazzling leading lady, Leia Organa, will read with the men.  Sides are being passed out to you with the scene you’ll be reading between Benvolio Montague and Rosaline Capulet.  You will each have thirty minutes to go over your lines and then we’ll begin the process.”

Jyn took the sides when they came to her and passed the rest of them on to Shara.  She looked over the scene which was really quite sappy, but she supposed that if you couldn’t play sappy you would have a hell of a time with everything else.  Chirrut left them to go over their lines.  Shara ran them with her a couple of times, each of them switching parts so they would get a turn reading as Rosaline.

After the thirty minutes were up, the staff came down hard on the stage again.  “Let the auditions begin!  We’ll be going alphabetically by last name!”

Shara ended up going well before Jyn and had done an amazing job.  She was a hell of an actress, but Jyn would never tell her that.  It only meant she was also stronger competition.  Most of the people here were pretty damn good and suddenly Jyn was pretty nervous.  She’d expected to walk in here and be the best… and perhaps that was the expectation of every acting student here.

“Jyn Erso!” her professor called when it was her turn.

Jyn got up and went to the stage.  Cassian joined her in the center, sides in his hand while he sat on a stool.  Jyn stood beside him and looked to Chirrut who said, “Whenever you’re ready, Ms. Erso.”

She took a breath, suddenly realizing how nervous she was. It wasn’t like her.  Jyn didn’t get nervous.  Not ever, not in this type of setting.  But for some reason she was.  She had to do it though.  For the next few minutes, she had to be Rosaline Capulet for all intents and purposes.  So she began by looking at Cassian.  “It can’t be she.”

“It must be she,” he replied.

“It _can’t_ ,” she said.  “Why would my aunt deface her own granddaughter’s statue?  Use your wits.”

“That old termagant would do anything to be disagreeable.  Besides, what say you of the black pain?”

After only two lines, Jyn was more nervous.  Cassian was _good_.  She’d noticed just how good he was during the original skit, but actually acting with him now… he was extraordinary.  Shakespeare—or at least quasi-Shakespeare—left his lips so naturally.  He barely even needed the sides in front of him.

She was almost too distracted to continue, but then snapped back into place, knowing that if it was visible she would lose a mark on this audition.  “I say she had her wall painted,” she recited.  “A crime dozens in Verona are guilty of.”

“And ‘twas thee who said she was hiding something.”

“Aye, _something_.  I am not ready to accuse her of murder.”

Cassian shook his head.  “You take such pride in holding yourself loftily above our skirmishes.  But you are just as quick to leap to the defense of a fellow Capulet as any of your eager-bladed cousins.”

“What do you suggest we do then?”

“Go to the prince.  Tell him what we’ve found.”

She laughed and said, “Tell him what?  Your Grace, prithee, clap the matriarch of the Capulets om orpms. She hath an impatient air and a black wall?”

Cassian sighed.  “To my uncle, then.  We can gather the men of my house, return to the duchess, and find the proof we need, whether she will or no.”

“If a throng of Montagues invades her house, no proof will be strong enough to calm the passions roused thereby.  The city will be in flames within a day.”

“What, then?”

“We continued as we have been.  Even if the duchess is somehow involved, she cannot have slain Orlino.  If we can find the swordsman, we may unravel her secrets too.”

“We have visited half the passable swordsmen in the city today.  None of them could have done it.”

“Then tomorrow we visit the other half.”

“Thou hast more patience than I, lady.”

“Not so much as you may think.”

Cassian laughed, and she joined him.  “You are right.  I just wish we could stop this.  A murderer walks free; I hate to waste even a moment,” he said.

“I know.”  She paused, as there was some stage direction that they weren’t partaking in.  Then she continued, “Romeo compared me to the moon.”

“Oh?” Cassian asked, his tone changing suddenly, which fit perfectly with the scene.  Again, he was a natural.

“Aye.  I used to tell him he must mean to insult me, to call me after something so round and pockmarked.”

He laughed.  “He never heard a sonnet but he rewrote it ten times worse.  Apparently execrable poetry was pleasing enough to Juliet, though.”

“No.  No, I doubt it.  Romeo had wit aplenty.  But ‘twas not I who was destined to ignite it.  I am sure whatever he told Juliet was beautiful.”  A slight pause.  “I truly thought ‘twas for the best, you know.  I knew he did not love me, for all his torrent of gifts and sonnets and declarations.  Spurning him I thought a boon.”

Cassian smiled.  They had to skip some more stage direction, but he then picked up on his next line.  “Well.  Until the morrow, then.”

“Aye, until tomorrow.”  At this point in the script, Rosaline would have kissed Benvolio’s cheek out of impulse, but Jyn did not do the same with Cassian.  “Good night,” she finished.

Applause rang out, whether it was just for form or whether they thought it was good.  Whether _she_ was good.  Chirrut nodded and said, “Thank you, Ms. Erso.”

Jyn went to dart for the stairs to leave the stage, but Cassian grabbed her arm which stopped her.  She turned a little to face him.  “Not bad.  But you didn’t have to look so terrified.”

Shit.  It had been noticeable.  That was surely going to cost her in the end.

Jyn left the stage and sat back in her seat.  By the time class was over, Chirrut announced the final casting decisions would be made by the next class period.  Jyn definitely wasn’t going to be Rosaline.  For the first time in her life, she wasn’t confident going into an audition, and her performance had been off.  While she knew all of her lines, it was the delivery of them that had to sell it.  She hadn’t.  She knew she hadn’t, and it brought up questions again of whether or not she should have gone elsewhere for study.

Grabbing her bag, Jyn bolted for the exit to the auditorium.  She had only a few minutes before her next class in a different classroom across the building.  But should she even go?  Her first class and she gave the worst reading of her entire life.  What a way to start off her career at Tisch.

Ultimately she decided it was best to go to her next class.  And after a couple of hours there, she headed back to the dorm.  On her way through the courtyard, she saw a board for fliers and stopped to look at them.  Most of them were notices for things upperclassmen needed for their final projects.  She wasn’t surprised most of them already had an idea of what they wanted to do.  Surely they’d been thinking about it since they were freshmen.

Then someone spoke to her from behind.  “Looking for work?”

She turned.  Cassian was there.  Jyn rolled her eyes, seeing his smirk, and looked back at the board.  “Just curious.  Seems like most of you know what you’re doing for your big finish.”

Cassian smiled, stepping up to the board, and hung up a flier on it.  “The deadline is in a month but for the most part our advisers already gave their final approval at the end of our junior years.  Galen Erso is mine and he gave immediate approval.”  Of course Galen was his adviser/mentor.  What else should she have expected?

Jyn looked at the flier Cassian had put on the board.  Her eyes widened when she saw what it was for.  “ _Venus In Fur_?” she asked.  “That’s a two person single set play.”

He nodded.  “Yes it is.”

“Don’t you have to do some big production for your final project?”

He shook his head.  “No.  As long as it’s something that showcases _us_ in the performance.  And I’ve always loved this play.  So I thought it would be a great opportunity for some freshman to work beside me for their required participation.”

“A freshman _woman_ ,” Jyn said.  “You looking to prey on some innocent girl?”

“What the fuck did I do to make you think I was some sort of creep?” he asked.

“I’m just pretty skeptical of guys,” she said.  “They all have an ulterior motive.”

Cassian shook his head.  “Not me.  But I guess you won’t believe me no matter what I tell you… even if you don’t know the first thing about me.”  Then he walked away.  Jyn turned and watched him with her arms crossed until he was out of sight for her.  She turned back to the flier and looked at it.  He was having auditions for the part of Vanda in a few days.  Jyn didn’t know much about the play and figured she probably couldn’t bring anything to it.  Besides… seeing Cassian on stage earlier, getting to read with him, and realizing just how nervous she was about it?  Well she definitely wasn’t going to be going after this part.

Heading back to the dorm, Jyn walked into the room to find Shara and Kes making out.  Just what she needed to walk back in to…

“Sorry, Jyn!” Shara said after tearing away from Kes.  “Didn’t think you’d be back this soon.”

“I’ll come back later,” she said.  “I don’t need to be here if you two are gonna… you know.”  She didn’t even give them a chance to respond before leaving, though she tossed her bag over to her bed before hand, and left with only her purse.

Once out of the dorm, Jyn wasn’t exactly sure where she should go.  She just started walking with no sense of direction or inkling whatsoever.  Campus was nice, however, so she took in the scenery as she walked by.  Eventually she decided to just hail a cab into the city and wound up in Central Park.  It was just as beautiful as everyone said.  She’d only ever seen it in pictures or movies, so being here in the flesh was an exhilarating experience.

While she walked, she saw a familiar face… someone she needed to take the time to thank.  Bodhi was in the park with a camera, and given the way he was holding it she was more than sure he was filming.  It didn’t look too important or else she wouldn’t have considered interrupting him.  Hustling closer to him, Jyn waved her hand and said, “Hey, Bodhi!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 coming soon. I've got midterms this week so I'm surprised I was able to squeeze this in, but I guess I needed something to retain my sanity. Anyway... hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jyn gets a hard lesson from Bodhi and learns she has something in common with Cassian. Meanwhile, Cassian meets with Galen while Jyn waits in the hallway, debating whether or not she should confront her father.

**Legend Has It  
Chapter 04**

_“And let’s pretend like they called me the greatest_  
_Selling out arenas with big ass stages_  
_And everybody loved me and no one ever hated_  
_Let’s try to use imagination_  
_Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars?_  
_I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now_ ”  
-B.o.B. feat. Hayley Williams & Eminem, “ _Airplanes, Pt. II_ ”

Bodhi looked up at Jyn just seconds after he heard his name and searched around.  He smiled and waved her over, inviting her to join him.  When she made it there, he said, “Hey.  Glad to see you’re looking better than last night.”

Jyn felt like she was blushed in embarrassment.  “Yeah, about that… I heard you were the one who drove me back to the dorm.”  He nodded.  “Thanks.”

“No problem,” he said with a small smile.

“What were you doing out anyway?” she asked.

Bodhi nodded to his camera.  “Filming.  Whenever I’m not in class, I’m usually out filming anything I can.  I’m trying to make an artsy film piece on New York City.  I made one on London once and submitted it to an art gallery.  It plays on a loop in a museum in Wembley.  Sort of a ‘hometown hero’ kind of thing.  Except I’m no hero.”

Jyn nodded.  Bodhi seemed pretty serious about his chosen field.  She could never be a director.  She was far more comfortable on the stage or in front of the camera, but mostly the stage.  “And I assume that’s what you’re doing right now?  Gathering material for your New York piece?”

He smiled.  “Yep.  But I don’t think there will ever be an end to filming.  New York is this vast wonderland that has no boundaries.  I’m so eager to get all of it captured but I feel like that’s impossible.”

“You never know,” Jyn said.

“True.”  He looked back to where he was pointing his camera, then shut it off.  Turning to face her completely, he asked, “So I expect that hangover was a bitch.  I half expected you to vomit in my car.”

She panicked.  “Oh God.  I didn’t, did I?”  Bodhi shook his head with an amused grin.  Jyn sighed in relief.  That would have been embarrassing… even more so than just the simple fact that she was drunk out of her mind last night and he found her wandering the streets of Manhattan.  “Good.  And again… thanks.  I’m sorry, but thanks.”

“It’s no trouble,” he said.  “I’m just glad I happened to be there.  Otherwise you may not have wound up finding your way back after all.  This city is massive.”

Jyn didn’t have to be told twice about that.  New York City was one of the biggest in the country.  There were millions upon millions upon millions of people here, whether they were native or tourists who were visiting.  She could have gotten lost so easily if not for Bodhi.

“What brings you to Central Park?” he asked, changing the subject.

Jyn looked around for a moment.  “Well, I just kind of ended up here.  I went back to my dorm after class and found my roommate making out with her boyfriend so I _really_ didn’t want to be around for that.”

He chuckled.  “I don’t blame you.”

“Any recommendations on what there is to do around here?” she asked.  She was only assuming he knew his way around better than she did.

“Well you’re an actress, right?  Take a walk down Broadway, see if there’s any open doors, and just go inside and pray for a lucky break?”

She chuckled.  “Maybe some other day.  I’m not feeling very confident at the moment.  My first class didn’t go very well.  I gave a terrible performance.”

Bodhi frowned.  “I’m sorry.”

“I’ve been questioning whether or not I should even be here,” she said.  “I’m not sure I even came for the right reasons.  I could have gone anywhere to study, but I chose Tisch because… I wanted to reconnect with someone from my past.”

He nodded, seeming sympathetic to her.  “Understandable.”

“Yeah well… they don’t want anything to do with me.  I wanted to pack up and go back to England but… my roommate talked me out of it.  Then I went an embarrassed myself during class.  I’ve never been off my game like that before.”  She didn’t know failure… or at least she didn’t know it _well_.  But given how the last two days had gone, she assumed she would become way more acquainted with it as time went on.

Bodhi crossed his arms.  “I think this might be a good learning experience for you,” he said.  “Instead of running away from things when they get hard, persevere through them.  If you really have the drive and the motivation, there’s no reason you shouldn’t keep going.  We all experience failure and rejection.  That’s part of this business.  And if you can’t handle that, you probably don’t belong here.  There was a reason I asked to sit next to you during orientation.  I could tell you were walking into the place as a person wouldn’t know failure even if it bit her in the ass.”

Jyn felt embarrassed now.  Was she _that_ transparent?  How many other people knew what kind of person she was?  She felt her cheeks heat up and looked away awkwardly.  “I’m sorry,” she said.  “I treated you pretty harshly and I didn’t even know you.”

“I knew you would,” Bodhi said.  “You’re not the first person who look down upon me for being enthusiastic and sometimes a bit naïve.  But I’ve worked through that.  I learn not to care.  I have goals I plan to reach, even if there are going to be some inevitable setbacks along the way.  I went into this knowing that.  And I think it’s something you have to learn.  Or at least readjust your way of thinking… and your expectations.”

He was right.  She _hated_ that he was right, but he was.

“I can help you through that,” he offered, which was something Jyn didn’t expect.  “Only if you’re serious about all of this, though.  You didn’t just get into this school because of your name, you got in because of talent that lies within you.”

Something he said made her perk up.  “Wait… my _name_?”  She looked at him.  He gave her a look that suggested he knew.  “How did you—”

Bodhi chuckled.  “You didn’t think I would put two-and-two together when I heard the name Erso?  Besides, you look _just_ like him.”

Jyn blushed, but completely embarrassed.

“Look, if you decide you want my help, here’s my number,” he said, pulling out a business card from his back pocket.  “This doesn’t have to be the end for you, but I think there’s something to be learned from it as well.”  He looked at the time on his phone.  “I have to get going.  I have class soon.”

She nodded.  “Thanks, Bodhi.  I’ll let you know.”  With that, Bodhi walked away, heading back towards NYU.

That left Jyn alone again.  She looked at Bodhi’s card before putting it in her purse and walked further into Central Park.  It was full of people so she definitely wasn’t alone.  As she walked, she tried to get a feel for her surroundings much in the same way Bodhi was doing with his filming.  It wasn’t the same, not exactly, since Jyn physically being there was far different from anything captured on film.  But if Bodhi was that good of a filmmaker, he might just make a viewer believe they were there.

She eventually wound up at a long bridge and started crossing.  On her way to the other side, she saw Cassian leaning over the edge looking into the water.  It looked like he had a notepad and a pen in his hand, and that was only confirmed when he scribbled something down a moment later.  Jyn watched him for a moment before a woman walked up to his side.  She held out an envelope for him, which he took and opened.  Whatever was inside excited him because his face lit up and he embraced the woman with a hug.

The woman didn’t stay for long and eventually walked away.  Cassian went back to looking into the water below and scribbling some things down, a smile still plastering his face.  Jyn wondered what that was all about.

Cassian looked up then, and turned his head.  He saw Jyn several feet away on the bridge.  Jyn wanted to run and pretend like she wasn’t staring at him, but it was too late.  “Stalking me now?” he asked.  “First insults and then following me wherever I go?”

“No?”  Christ, he probably thought she was a lunatic.

He smirked.  “Relax.”

Jyn took a breath and nodded before approaching him fully.  She looked at the notepad he held to see what was on it.  “What are you doing?  Writing poetry?”

“Not exactly.  It’s for my first assignment in one of my classes.  I have to write about a place that makes me happy and be as detailed as possible.  That place is in Mexico, so I can’t exactly go there, but this is as close as I’m going to get.”

She nodded to the folder.  “What’s in there?”

Cassian looked at it, then held it up a little.  “This?  Concert tickets.  A friend hooked me up.  Kes, Shara, me, and a few others have been dying to see Run the Jewels in concert.  They’re coming next month.”

Jyn raised her eyebrows.  “Really?  RTJ fans, huh?”

“You know them?” Cassian asked, just as surprised as she was.

“Anything with good taste in music knows them,” she replied.

Cassian smiled.  “You wanna come with?  I know you don’t particularly like me, but it’s not like I’m asking you out on a date or anything.  And there _are_ a few extra tickets in here… for people that really want them.”

Jyn knew she couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this.  It was nice of Cassian to offer them too, even after she’d treated him so poorly and accused him of being a piece of shit basically.  And if she were going to follow Bodhi’s advice, she needed to learn how to change.  “I—yes, sure, of course,” she answered after deliberating.  “I would love to.”

He laughed.  “Well don’t sound so excited,” he said.  “I’ll be sure to put you on the list.”  Before she could say anything, his phone rang.  When he saw who it was, he said, “I’ve gotta go.  It’s my adviser.”

Adviser… wasn’t Cassian’s adviser Galen?  She was pretty sure he’d told her that today.  Jyn nodded and said, “Sure.”

Cassian turned and left, answering the phone and left the bridge to head back to campus.  Jyn debated.  Did she follow him?  Did she leave him be?  It might be a chance to conveniently run into her father if she knew where he was going to be.  Following Cassian was the way to do that.  She supposed she could always wait outside of Galen’s office as well, but he would probably just throw her out.  Not like he wanted to see her anyway.

But still, her curiosity got the best of her.  So with all the skill she had, she followed Cassian without him catching on, and followed him into a building on campus where he eventually walked into a room to meet with Galen.

=

Cassian sat down in front of Galen’s desk, putting his bag by his feet.  “I’m glad you were able to fit me in on such short notice,” he said.  “I know this year’s rather busy for you.”

His adviser sighed.  “Believe me, it’s much busier than I anticipated.  Even with trying to get back on stage, plus Krennic up my ass every five seconds.  I don’t know how much more of this I can take.  I miss the old days when I was just acting.”

Cassian frowned.  “You could always leave,” he said.

Galen shook his head and took a deep breath.  “No,” he said as he let it out.  “I can’t.  As much as I would love to.  My prime has past.  It’s time to train the new generation of performers.”

“You’ve been doing it for nearly ten years,” Cassian pointed out.  “And you said it yourself, you’re trying to get back on stage.  You clearly miss it.”

“Krennic’s never going to let me go, Cassian,” Galen told him.  “I know too much about him.  You know that.”

He supposed Galen was right.  The shit Cassian knew about Galen and Krennic was unreal, probably really dangerous as well.  He suspected there was more to it than what he actually knew, but he couldn’t go pressing the matter any further.  “I wish I could help,” he said.

“You’re the only one.  Anyone who knows wants absolutely nothing to do with it.  They know how dangerous Krennic is.  If they speak up, there’s no telling what the repercussions will be.  That’s why you need to watch your back, Cassian.  And… watch out for my Jyn.”

Cassian nodded.  He knew who Jyn was when they met.  Or… rather met _formally_ at the club.  It’s not like the name Erso was exactly anonymous.  He was really surprised she didn’t think people wouldn’t put it together fast.  “I don’t think she likes me very much,” he said.  “No offense, Galen, but your daughter is a bitch.”

Galen sighed.  “I suppose I’m to blame for that too,” he said, looking to the side out the window out of his office.  “I can’t even tell her how much I love her and want to be her father again.  But it might be too late by the time this is all over.  If she won’t leave, I need someone I can trust to protect her.”  He looked back at Cassian.  “Do what you can, Cassian.  Please.  For my sake.  And for hers.  I would never be able to forgive myself if something happened to her the way it happened to Lyra.”

Knowing what he knew about Dean Krennic, Cassian wasn’t about to let Galen down.  They had a slippery history, and the fact that Jyn was here wasn’t good for any of them, especially Galen.  “I’ll do everything in my power,” he said.  “You have my word.”

=

Jyn waited anxiously in the corner just down the hall from Galen’s office door.  It was about twenty minutes before Cassian emerged from the room and walked down the hall, leading her to have to hide so he didn’t see her.  Once he was past and out of sight, Jyn looked back down the hallway.  Galen was coming out of his office and Jyn knew this was her chance.  No one else was around.  She had to take this moment while she could.

So she rounded the corner and followed Galen down the hall, picking up the pace to catch up with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Midterms are over so things will be slightly less hectic for the next few weeks, at least until finals. I hope to be writing chapters more quickly, but just because school work has slowed down doesn't mean I don't still work 40 hours a week. =p Hope you enjoyed and Chapter 05 will be coming soon!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jyn learns nothing is as it seems, but with no real answers. Meanwhile, Cassian holds auditions for his senior project.

**Legend Has It  
Chapter 05**

_“And the sky opened up before my eyes_  
_And everything went up in flames_  
 _And as the old world burned away_  
 _I realized that everything before had been a lie”_  
-Wrathschild, “ _Cosmonaut_ ”

Jyn picked up the pace as Galen got further away.  He eventually rounded a corner and she knew she had to catch him before he was out of sight for good.  This could be her only chance to confront her father alone.  Perhaps she could get some answers.  Why had he abandoned her?  Did he really not want her?

As she turned the corner, someone grabbed her and before she could scream her mouth was covered.  Jyn was pulled back against the person who caught her.  “Shhh,” the person said.

That voice was familiar.

Slowly, Jyn turned and saw it was her father.

Her eyes widened.  Galen put one finger to his mouth in a shushing gesture and she nodded to indicate she understood.  Galen released his hand from her mouth and Jyn pulled away, turning to face him.  She stared at him for a moment, wondering what was going on, but when he stepped in and embraced her she was left in utter confusion.

This wasn’t the Galen she had seen yesterday.

“Jyn… my Stardust.”

That made Jyn well up… it also made her inconsolably angry.  She pushed Galen away and asked, “What’s wrong with you?  Don’t you remember?  You don’t want anything to do with me anymore.  Your own _daughter_.”

“Jyn—” he started.

But she cut him off.  “No.  No, you don’t get to talk.  It’s _my_ turn.  You abandoned me after Mum died and left me with the Gerrera’s.  I heard _nothing_ from you in all of those years.  I only got to see you in films, online, doing interviews… and never _once_ did you mention me or Mum, or even seem to care about your past.  I came here to try and reconnect with you, stupid enough to believe you might want the same thing.”

Galen stopped her by grabbing her shoulders.  “I _do_.  Jyn, it’s not what you think.  _Please_ , listen to me, I _beg_ you.”

“What could it possibly be if you didn’t want me anymore?” she asked, now fully in tears.  She tried to push Galen off of her, but he was strong and persistent.

“It’s something bigger than you or me.  Something I have no control over and never have.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to see you or just call you to hear your voice, but I couldn’t.  Doing it could put you in danger.  And I need you to be careful.  If I had known you were coming I would have diverted you off this path before you had a chance to set foot in New York.  But if you’re going to insist on staying, you need to watch your back.”

Jyn was worried.  Confused, but worried, and rightfully so since Galen was not only being cryptic but seemed to really mean what he said.  Then again, he was a damn good actor so maybe this was all bullshit.  She had no idea what to truly believe.  “Watch my back from _whom_?”

He shook his head.  “I can’t tell you.  I’ve already told you too much, my Stardust.  Just know that I love you and all I want is your safety.  Everything I do is to protect you.  Do you understand?”

She didn’t respond.

“ _Do you understand?_ ” Galen asked again, begging her to answer him and give him the response he was looking for, and tightening his grip on her shoulders.

“I—…yes.  I understand.”

Galen released his grip on her completely and took a step back.  “One day I’ll be able to tell you everything.  Until then… that’s all I can say.  Please… stay safe.”

He placed a kiss on her forehead.  Jyn closed her eyes, still letting tears roll down her cheeks, and by the time she opened them Galen was gone.  Somehow it seemed like it all might’ve been a fantasy, but even so she was now on her guard.  Her father was caught up in something and he was afraid.  She couldn’t allow herself to get into trouble, for his sake… and hers.

=

A few days passed.  Jyn attended all of her other classes for the first time before returning to the very first class she ever set foot in at Tisch.  Professor Îmwe stood on stage with a piece of paper in his hands.  The upperclassmen—Cassian included—sat behind him on stools.  Jyn slouched in her seat next to Shara, wanting to be invisible.  She knew she wasn’t getting the lead in this first project.  No way in hell.

“The seniors and I have come to an agreement on who will be playing what part in your first assignment,” the professor announced.  “We’ll be calling out your names, and when we do, we’d like you to stand up.  Then we’ll tell you which part you’ve received.”

Jyn’s stomach turned.  She had to stand up in front of everyone and find out she wasn’t going to be playing Rosaline Capulet.  The thought was embarrassing and painful.  But Bodhi’s words echoed in her brain, and the next thought that crossed her mind was that maybe this was a good thing.  She needed something to take her down a few pegs, even with as uncomfortable as that was going to make her.

Names were called out one by one and everyone was being told who they were playing.  The male lead of Benvolio Montague went to a boy named Luke Skywalker, but Rosaline  had yet to be assigned to someone.  Jyn still wasn’t holding out hope for herself, not after her audition.

“Jyn Erso!”

She swallowed hard, then stood up.  She felt so nauseous that she wanted to vomit right then and there.  But she stood her ground and gave Professor Îmwe her full attention.

“Jyn, you will be playing Princess Isabella of Arragon.”

There it was.  Not Rosaline.  Isabella wasn’t even that big of a part.  If she was going to get a part that was even remotely important, it would have been Rosaline, her sister Livia, or even Lady Capulet.  Hell, even _Juliet’s nurse_ was a more important character than Princess Isabella.

Nodding, Jyn sat back down.  At least she knew and could begin attempting to put Bodhi’s advice to use.

“Shara Bey!”

Next to her, Shara stood up with a smile.

“Shara, you will be playing Rosaline Capulet.”

Applause rang out.  Shara seemed very shocked, but extremely happy.  “Thank you, Professor, thank you so much!” she exclaimed, hands on her chest.  Kes’ cheer was the loudest one from the stage.

Jyn felt envy towards Shara.  Her roommate had gotten the lead over her.  It stung to know someone out there was a better actress than she was.  Regardless of Bodhi’s advice, she was sour about it.  It was going to be difficult to get over the fact.  Even though there were going to be plenty more projects out there for her to steal the lead in, she was used to being the best.  In this case she was not.

When class was let out, Jyn hurried off to her next one.  She sat and listened to her professor, Baze Malbus, though she didn’t hear much of what he was saying.  Her thoughts were too focused on Shara and the assignment in her previous class.  Her devastation clashed with the reminder that she needed to be taken down a few notches and learn to fail every once in awhile.

She also thought some about Galen.  It was still a mystery to her what—or who—could possibly be of harm to her.  Jyn wasn’t sure she would ever find out.  It made her question her presence here yet again.  But Bodhi told her to tough through it.  He wasn’t wrong.

When class was over, they were given an assignment to write a three page paper on the best project they had ever worked on in the past.  Jyn knew she was going to have a tough time narrowing it down.  But she had a week to complete the assignment and turn it in.  Her worry was she would be too distracted by everything else to actually _do_ it.

On her way back to the dorm, she stopped in front of the bulletin board in the courtyard where Cassian had put up a flier for his play’s auditions and looked at it.  _Venus In Fur_.  Jyn had never played a role like that before.  And she had to get over her embarrassment of looking like a fool in front of Cassian.  Even if she didn’t get the part, it would be a learning experience for her.  And perhaps she could redeem herself right away in front of someone so talented.

The auditions were the following day… and it gave Jyn time to prepare.

=

After a long night of studying up on the play and watching performances on YouTube, Jyn nearly inhaled her extra large coffee on the way to the auditorium where Cassian was holding auditions for his project.  She slid in the back while they were already in progress and sat down to watch her competition.  Cassian was sitting in the middle at a table with Galen and Dean Krennic and that other student who had did the female reading during her first class… Leia?  Jyn was pretty sure it was something like that.

There were a great deal of students there to audition for the part of Vanda, all women of course since this was a two person play and Cassian was already playing the role of Thomas.  Jyn watched all of them closely as they read opposite of Cassian while he was sitting at the table with his fellow judges.  They were all pretty good, but she had to be _better_.

Her thoughts went back to how natural Cassian had been at reading Shakespeare (or _quasi_ ) during class, and how nervous he’d made her feel.  Acting for him wasn’t work, it was second nature.  That was who Jyn was _supposed_ to be.  She had to make herself seem as though there was no real effort behind it for the simple fact that it came naturally.  And given how well she knew this play now, it’s not like it was going to be that hard.

A young man approached her with a clipboard after awhile.  “Hi.  Are you here to audition?” he asked in a quiet voice.

Jyn nodded.  “I am.”

He handed her the board with a pen.  “Write your name down, take a script.  And you can take your place in line just off stage right.”  Jyn scribbled her name down and handed the board back to him.  “Thanks.”  She nodded in response and got up with her bag to get in line behind two more girls.  She looked at the sides she’d taken.  They were reading through the very beginning of the play from the moment Vanda enters.

Within about fifteen minutes, she was the next person in line.  As the girl before her left the stage, Jyn looked behind her.  There wasn’t anybody else… not yet.  But auditions were almost over.  Perhaps she was the last one.

“Jyn Erso?” a voice called out.  It was female, so it had to be Leia.

Walking on stage, she looked out to the table where the four judges sat.  Cassian and Galen seemed surprised… also worried.  Krennic seemed delighted.  “Ms. Erso!” he exclaimed.  “Welcome!  I’m pleased to see you here!”

Jyn offered a smile.  “Thank you, Dean Krennic.  I’m thrilled to be here.”  She looked at Cassian who looked like he was twitching.  “Shall we jump in?”

Krennic and Leia looked at Cassian who was still staring at her, lost in space.  “Cass?” Leia asked, trying to get his attention.  When he snapped out of his daze, Leia asked, “Are you ready?”

He cleared his throat.  “Yes, right… um…” he picked up his script and looked at Jyn.  “Whenever you’re ready, Ms. Erso.”

It looked like the tables had turned a bit.  Though Jyn was still slightly nervous about all of this.  For one, she knew Cassian was still a brilliant actor.  For another, her father was in the audience watching her.  More than likely this was going to be the first time he saw her using her craft.

But she didn’t want to be distracted, and jumped right in to reading.  This time she didn’t even look at the sides.  She knew this part better than the back of her hand.

“Knock knock knock!”  She waited for the stage direction.  “Am I too late?  I'm too late, right? Fuck. _Fuck!_ ”

From the table, Cassian read, “If you're here for _Venus in Fur_ , everybody went home half an hour ago.”

“God, I'm sorry, I am so, so sorry, I got caught like way uptown and my cell went out. Then my fucking heel gets stuck in one of those sewer-cover-thing-whatevers. Then there's this guy on the train, I don't even want to tell you about him, rubbing up against my ass the whole trip. Then it starts to pour. I get soaked through to the fucking skin. Fuck! Fuck!”  More stage direction.  “God. Just my luck. Fuck... _FUCK!_ ”

“Can I run out and refill any prescriptions for you?”

“I’m okay. Just my usual luck is all. Thank you, God, once again! Hi. I'm sorry. Vanda Jordan.”

“Vanda...?”

“See what I mean? I've even got her name! How many girls in this town are named _Vanda_? Actually I'm Wanda but my parents called me _Vanda_.  Anyway, I'm like perfect for the part and the fucking train gets stuck in a tunnel while this guy's trying to penetrate me. Talk about fate. And you are?”

“Thomas Novachek.”

“Hi. Hey, wait a minute. Thomas Novachek? You wrote this!”

“Yes, I did. Well, I adapted it.”

“And you're directing it, too, right?”

“Within an inch of its life.”

“God, I love your plays! I mean, the ones I know. _Anatomy of Shadows_? Like, _wow_. _Anatomy of Shadows_ was _amazing_! I saw it twice!”

“I didn’t write _Anatomy of Shadows_.”

“Right, right. I mean, you know, the other one. God, this is embarrassing. Anyway, _this_ play is sure amazing. I mean, the parts of it I read. Pretty wild stuff.”

Jyn hit every beat she was supposed to.  By the end of it, Cassian was floored.  Her father even looked impressed.  Krennic was overcome with joy and he stood up to applaud her.  “Well done, Ms. Erso!  Brava, brava!”

She curtsied, even without a skirt of any kind on, and looked over at Cassian.  The young man cleared his throat and said, “Um… yes, very well done.  Thank you, Ms. Erso.  We’ll let you know.”

Jyn then left the stage after thanking them.  She grabbed her bag which she’d sat down off stage and headed out the door of the auditorium.  She felt good about herself for the first time since coming here.  Even if she didn’t get the part, she’d at least redeemed herself in front of Cassian.  It was better than leaving it looking like a complete fool the way she had during her first class.

“Hey!”

As she reached the doors of the building and having pushed on them so they were half open, Jyn turned around to find Cassian storming in her direction.  He looked pissed… and that left her _confused_.

“What the _fuck_ was that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 6 should be coming soon! Like I said, updates won't be regularly scheduled. Basically just whenever I finish a chapter. Hope you enjoyed! Leave me some feedback, some kudos, etc. I appreciate all of you for reading! =]


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jyn struggles with self-change and following the advice of others. Cassian fights back against Galen.

**Legend Has It  
Chapter 06**

_“In the night I hear them talk the coldest story ever told  
__Somewhere far along this road he lost his soul  
__To a woman so heartless  
__How could you be so heartless?_ _”_  
-Kanye West, “ _Heartless_ ”

“Excuse me?”

“What. The. _Fuck_. Was. That?”

Jyn stared at Cassian in complete confusion.  He was _really_ pissed.  “Did you forget to take some medication this morning or…?”

Cassian raised a hand, pointing a finger at her.  “First you shit talk my project like I’m some kind of predator going after freshman girls, then you have the audacity to _show up and audition_?  You’re a real piece of work, Jyn Erso.  Walking around acting like you know everything when you don’t know _shit_.  Don’t think I don’t know all about you.  You’re Little Miss “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me” when it comes to everything and think you’re entitled to your career.  I saw the look on your face when Chirrut told you you were playing Princess Isabella.  I saw how you looked at Shara when he told her she was playing Rosaline.  You didn’t get the lead part, so you decided to come out here and what?  Redeem yourself?  Make yourself feel better?  Well _fuck you_ , Jyn.  Fuck you and people _like_ you.”

She was floored.  Cassian really ripped her a new one, way worse than Bodhi had in Central Park.  And somehow this one hurt _worse_.  Not just because of the tone or blatant anger behind it, but because she’d gone into it feeling good about herself only to have everything ripped away from her again.

What was she supposed to say here?

“Sorry,” she said, her mood completely changed.  “My mistake.”  Then she pushed the door open all the way and left the building.  If Cassian had more to say he could come after her, but he apparently didn’t because he remained inside.

Jyn ran back to the dorm and collapsed on her bed when she arrived.  Shara was out so the room was all hers.  She laid on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, and allowing herself to cry a little.  This place was full of nothing but misery.

Eventually she stopped crying and pulled out Bodhi’s number from her purse.  She sent him a text asking if he was willing to meet at some point today, to which he responded that he was filming out in Central Park again and if she wanted to drop by she could.

So she grabbed her shoes and a light jacket and left the dorm, slinging her purse over her shoulder as she did.

Avoiding walking this time, Jyn hailed a cab from campus to the park where she found Bodhi in a completely different area than she had last time.  He greeted her warmly, but also sensed her emotions taking a nosedive in the next beat.  “Tell me what happened,” he said, turning his camera off.

Jyn jumped into the story about how she had decided to take his advice, then it ended up exploding in her face.  How she’d walked into an audition confidently but without any expectations and then how they were ruined anyway by Cassian.  She sunk on a bench and put her face in her hands when she was finished.

Bodhi sat beside her.  “You know… you’re not wrong.  He’s not wrong either, but you did a good thing.  Walking in like you had all the confidence in the world but attempting to accept that you might not get the part?  That’s a good first step.  It’s baby steps, and that’s what you need.”

She looked up at him.  “So why’s he not wrong?”

“Well you probably shouldn’t go around judging people you don’t know,” he said.  “Kind of like how you judged me in the beginning, thinking I was some naïve child who had no Earthly clue what he was doing.  Just because Cassian displays confidence doesn’t mean he’s some human trash bag preying on women.  He had to learn that confidence from somewhere.  And he’s not going to let some freshman take it away from him.  He also probably isn’t going to sit there and let someone judge him without knowing who he is.”

Jyn frowned.  “Right… I probably need to work on that.”

“Not ‘probably.’  You _do_.”

She sighed and looked up at the sky.  Closing her eyes, she tried to get out of her head and relax a bit.  It was easier said than done.  All of it… not just trying to get out of her head, but not judging people before she knew them.  She was scarred by what Galen had done to her, and even though she now knew whatever was going on with him was way bigger than just her, it didn’t change the fact that she had a distrust of men who were so easily in command.

“Look, Jyn, I think there’s some self-examination you need to do.  You might want to see a counselor or something.  You’ve had a hard life so far and there’s a lot of issues you probably need to talk through.  I’m here to listen, of course, and offer my advice but I’m no professional.  The school has some really great counselors available to us so you should look into seeing one.”

Jyn took a breath.  “Maybe.”  She looked at him.  “Thanks, Bodhi.”

He grinned.  “I got you, Jyn.  You may act like a tough bitch on the outside, but you’re a softie where it counts.”

She rolled her eyes and shoved him playfully.

=

“I can’t do it.”

“Cassian—”

“No, Galen!”

Galen’s eyes were pleading with him, but Cassian wasn’t having it.  Jyn was fire one minute and ice the next.  It was the worst case of bipolar he had ever _seen_.  Why on _Earth_ would he want to work with her on his final project?  She could cost him _everything_!  Cassian wasn’t opposed to watching out for her and being an acquaintance like Galen had originally asked of him, but it would be a cold day in Hell before he allowed Jyn to play Vanda.

Cassian plopped down in the chair in front of Galen’s desk.  “Look, I’m all for watching her back and everything, but I’m not going to be her _literal_ babysitter.”

Galen sat down in his own chair.  “What can I do to convince you to do this for me, Cassian?  I would at least know that if she was rehearsing with you she would be in trusted hands… safe from the watching eyes.”

“Krennic, you mean,” Cassian said bluntly.  “You know Krennic is banking on this project being a success right?  I’m _the_ student to watch and I will _not_ fuck it up by casting someone opposite of me who doesn’t care about anything or anyone but _herself_.”

“She was the _best one_ , Cassian!”

He opened his mouth to say something, holding up a finger to try and rebut his statement, but then stopped.  Sighing, he said, “Okay, fine, she was, but that’s not the point!”

“You need the best one,” Galen said.  “Jyn _is_ the best one.”

“ _No_ , Galen.  I won’t say it again.  I don’t care what you, Krennic, or even _Leia_ tell me.  She’s not getting the part.  And in the end it’s _my_ decision anyway.  I’m going with Anysa and that’s _final_.”  He got up from the chair and left the office.

Storming out, Cassian left the building and headed back to his apartment which he shared with Kes and their friend Kai.  When he arrived, Kes was there but Kai was not… he pretty much expected Kai not to be there since he was rarely ever home.  Kes was in the middle of working on some script rewrites for his own project when Cassian walked in.  His friend looked over at him, concerned.

“Shit… what happened?” Kes asked.

Cassian fell back on the couch.  “He wants me to cast her.”

“Well are you?”

“ _Fuck_ no!  I agreed to watch her back, not be her keeper!”

Kes put his pen down.  “Well was she good?”

Cassian scoffed.  “Not the _point_ , Kes!”

His friend smirked.  “Admit it.  You like her.”

“I really do not,” Cassian said.  “She’s a self-centered, stuck-up bitch who thinks she owns the place after being here a _week_.  I’ve got news for her—she’s going to know what failure feels like pretty damn fast!”  Kes was shaking his head, laughing and smiling on the other side of the room.  “What?!” Cassian asked, incredulous.  “You think I’m _lying_?”

 Leaning forward, Kes said, “Personally, yes, I think you’re full of shit.  I mean, that’s my general stance on you but—”  Before he could say anything else, Cassian grabbed one of the throw pillows from the couch and chucked it at him.  Kes ducked and it hit the picture behind him on the wall before falling to the floor.  “Jesus Christ, dude, relax.”

“Fuck off, Kes,” he said, laying back down and looking up at the ceiling.

Kes said, “You know, it might do you some good to get to know her a little bit.  Find out _why_ she is the way she is.  Shara said she’s pretty scared about being here.  Threatened to leave after orientation.  Probably something to do with her run-in with Galen and Krennic.”

“Well Galen pretending to not want her to keep her safe isn’t exactly helping,” Cassian said.  “I told him he should probably just tell her everything for her own good.  I think it’d keep her _safer_ if she _knew_ what was going on.”

His friend shrugged.  “Not really your call to make, Cass.  She’s _his_ daughter, not yours.”

Cassian knew that was true, and it was probably the only reason he was keeping his mouth shut.  He couldn’t tell Jyn anything he knew.  When Galen felt the time was right, he had to be the one to reveal all.  Until then, Cassian had to shut up and watch her back.

But that _didn’t_ mean he had to cast her in his play.

=

The rest of the weekend went by fairly quickly.  Jyn spent most of it reading _Still Star-Crossed_ to prepare for their first rehearsal on Monday.  She ran a few lines with Shara since Rosaline and Isabella shared a few scenes together, but most of their time was spent reading through scenes they weren’t even part of.  It was painful to read for Benvolio opposite Shara’s Rosaline, but she had to get over it quickly or else it would consume her.  Bodhi was right… Cassian was right.  She had issues she needed to work through.

On Monday during class everyone was paired up with an upperclassman to read through their scenes.  Jyn was given the apparent honor of getting to work with Leia.  They were allowed to leave the classroom, so Leia took her into the hallway and down a few doors before sitting down on the floor.  After reading through a couple scenes, Leia told her they would take a break.

“You know you’re really good, Jyn,” she said.  “Better than you were during that initial audition.  What happened that day?”

Jyn shrugged.  “I don’t know,” she replied.  “I guess it was kind of daunting working with someone as good as Cassian.  It’s like he was _born_ to recite Shakespeare.  And me… I _know_ my Bard pretty well, but after hearing him speak a few lines, it was like I was some kind of amateur.  I never felt _so_ nervous before.”

Leia pulled her legs up against her chest and wrapped her arms around them.  “I get it.  You’re in a new place with new people and it probably doesn’t help that most of us have been here for three years already.  Hell, my brother feels the same way.”

“Who’s your brother?” Jyn asked.

“Luke.”

Jyn’s eyes widened.  “Skywalker?”  Leia nodded.  “He’s your _brother_?”

“My twin brother to be exact.  But we were given up for adoption when we were infants so we didn’t grow up together.  We reconnected when we were eighteen.  Luke tried to get in three years ago but didn’t have any luck until this year.  Now he’s in a class of students all younger than him and feels so behind.”

“But… he got the part of _Benvolio_!  Clearly he did _something_ right!”

Leia chuckled.  “Well, Luke’s always exceeded expectations since I’ve known him.  Even when he thinks he’s failing, he’s the best one in the room.  He needs to work on his confidence.  You, on the other hand, I think you need to work on that too… but in the exact opposite sense.  You’re _over_ confident and you don’t have to be.  I think that may be why you failed your audition.”

Maybe she was right.  Jyn didn’t know what to believe anymore.  Her own head, or the people giving her advice.  At this point it was probably better to start letting other people stick wisdom in her mind and let it play on repeat.  Then, another question popped up.  “How did I do for _Venus_?”

“Oh you were great for _Venus_.  I don’t know what you did, but you were one of the best we saw.  Krennic really made a case for you.  Even your father thought you stood out the most.  But ultimately it’s up to Cassian since it’s _his_ project.”

She nodded.  “What are you doing for yours?”

“I’m making a short film,” she answered.  “I’m going to see if I can find a freshman student to direct it for me and recruit actors from various class levels.  My boyfriend, Han, already wrote the script for it.  Completely original, real art housey shit.  That’s my specialty.”

That got Jyn to thinking.  “Well, hey, I might know a freshman student who’s a director that might be willing to work with you.”

Leia smiled.  “I’d love to meet with them.”

=

After setting up Leia with Bodhi’s number and finishing class, Jyn sent a text to Bodhi about Leia and how she might be contacting him for an interview.  Then she went off to her next class and listened to Professor Malbus give a lecture which was pretty hard to sit through and felt like it was taking forever.  By the time it was over, she was half-asleep.

Getting up to leave, she was stopped when she heard her name.  “Jyn Erso!”

Professor Malbus had called her name.  Jyn turned back around, already half-standing and trying to gather her things to leave, and went to the front of the room.  The other students were leaving, so it was just her and the professor.

“I heard you might need some help,” he began.  “Some counseling.”

She was confused.  “How—”

“Bodhi Rook told me,” he said.  “He’s my step-cousin.  We talk quite a bit.  And I happen to be one of the school’s counselors.”

“You?” she asked.

“Acting was something that fell into my lap,” he said.  “I went to school for six years to be a therapist.  Then one day I wound up at an audition with my husband and _boom_ —into acting we both went.”

Jyn was stunned.  Given how boring his lectures were, she couldn’t imagine he was any good at counseling.  “I don’t know,” she said.  “I’m not even sure I _want_ to talk to a professional.”

Professor Malbus nodded.  “Well if you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

She thanked him, then left the room.  Jyn headed to her dorm, hoping not to walk in on Kes and Shara again, and thankfully didn’t.  When she plopped down on the bed, her phone rang.  It was a FaceTime from her foster family.  Jyn smiled and answered it, holding the phone up so she could see them when they popped up.

“Hey, Saw… hey, everybody.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate all of you who leave kudos and feedback with every update. You guys rock! I love our fandom. :)  
> Chapter 7 coming soon!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jyn is told to open up, but to what avail? Elsewhere, Cassian lets his emotions go too far.

**Legend Has It  
Chapter 07**

_“Now I know we said things, did things that we didn’t mean_  
_And we fall back into the same patterns, same routine_  
 _But your temper’s just as bad as mine is_  
 _You’re the same as me_ ”  
-Eminem feat. Rihanna, “ _Love the Way You Lie_ ” 

By the end of the week, Jyn was exhausted.  Things had begun to pick up with rehearsals for class and going out on auditions for several of the seniors who needed roles filled in their projects.  She avoided Cassian as much as possible, especially having heard that he’d cast a girl named Anysa in the role of Vanda for his play.  It would be a lie if she said she wasn’t a bit jealous, but she had gone into the audition with no expectations whatsoever.  Cassian’s outburst still hurt, though, and it made her realize she had a lot she needed to work on when it came to who she was.

That was why when she turned her paper in on Wednesday of that week she asked Professor Malbus if they could schedule a counseling session.  Friday afternoon was their first one.  She met with him in the counseling center where he had an office and sat down on the couch while he sat in front of her.  “So, Jyn,” Baze began, “why have you decided to seek counseling?”

Jyn inhaled deeply.  “I suppose… it’s because I’ve never really talked about what I’ve been through in life.  To be honest there’s a lot I don’t remember.  All that seems to surround me is the major events.  They’ve effected the way I am and… I’m never going to get anywhere if I don’t confront them.  _Try_ to change, at least.”

He nodded.  “Why don’t you start out by telling me about yourself.”  It wasn’t a question, but merely a request that had to be fulfilled no matter what.  “Who is Jyn Erso?  Where did she come from?  What was her life like?”

This wasn’t going to be easy, but she had to do this.  She’d come here, after all, seeking to learn how to change… and in order to change, she had to understand how she’d gotten here in the first place.  She didn’t have to like it, but it was necessary.  Jyn sighed and said, “I come from Birmingham in England.  I’m the only child of Galen and Lyra Erso.  My mother died when I was young, for reasons I still don’t know, and my father abandoned me shortly thereafter.  I was raised by Saw Gerrera, a friend of the family, and his wife and children.  They had a large family but still welcomed me into it.”

Baze nodded.  “How did you feel when you first went to live with Saw Gerrera and his family?”

Jyn crossed her arms.  “I was… angry.  Sad.  I don’t know.  I just felt so alone.  I was surrounded by people I’d only met here and there, but without my father or my mother I might as well have been locked away in an empty room by myself.”

“You were close with your parents,” Baze said.  It wasn’t a question, not really.

“I was… especially with my father.  When he left, I didn’t understand why, and Saw didn’t have any answers for me.  If he knew anything he kept it to himself.”

“Do you think he did?”

Jyn shrugged.  “I couldn’t say.  Maybe, maybe not.  It seemed like he just wanted me to have a happy life after he took me in.  He treated me like one of his own children.  And even despite that, I never felt whole.”

Baze wrote a few things down while nodding.  “You feel deprived of the childhood you should’ve had.  One with your mother and your father, perhaps some biological siblings.  And because of that, you have shut the world out the way your father shut _you_ out.”  Jyn sunk down in her seat.  “It’s not uncommon, Jyn.  In fact, it’s perfectly normal.  I think that’s the thing I want to try and get you to work on, at least to start.  Opening up to someone, not just me, will help.”

“You really think _that_ will work?” she asked, very skeptical.

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t suggest it.”

=

“From the top!”

Jyn went back to her mark, script in hand, and flipped back to the appropriate page after Chirrut had them restart mid-scene.  They had been working hard ever since class begun, but not just today… for the past _week_.  Jyn was exhausted.  Between classes, rehearsals, and going to therapy with Professor Malbus, she wasn’t sure how she found time to sleep.

“Chirrut, let them take a break,” Leia insisted from the audience.  “We still have plenty of rehearsal time.”

He sighed.  “If you insist.”  Turning to the students, he said, “You have five minutes!  Then back to your marks!”

With that, the students dispersed whether to use the restroom, get a drink of water, or to stretch their legs.  Jyn went down to the audience and grabbed her water bottle.  In the middle of a swig from it, Bodhi ran up behind her.  “Jyn!”

She jumped a little, nearly choking on her water.  Once she’d swallowed, she said, “Jesus Christ, Bodhi, you scared the shit out of me.”

“Sorry!” he said, regretful and slightly embarrassed.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.  “Don’t you have class?”

“Got out early,” he said.  “But did Leia tell you?!  She chose _me_ to be her director!”

Jyn looked at Leia, who was comparing notes with Cassian and Kes up front, then back to Bodhi.  “Holy shit, that’s amazing!  Congrats, Bodhi!”  She hugged him, and he embraced her back, for a moment before letting go.

Bodhi smiled.  “Thank you, Jyn, for recommending me.  And to return the favor, I’ve asked Leia to cast _you_ in the project as well.”

Her eyes widened.  “Oh, Bodhi, you didn’t have to—”

“Please, I _insisted_ , and Leia didn’t object.  Not even for a second.  Besides, she needs another female role filled and you would be _perfect_ for it.  Please say you’ll do it.  Please?”  The puppy dog eyes weren’t helping, and Jyn had to admit that it was hard to say no to Bodhi to begin with.

She sighed.  “Okay.  I’ll do it.”

Bodhi pumped his fist in the air.  “Yes!”  Then he called over to Leia.  “Leia!  Come here!”

Leia, Cassian, and Kes all looked over as Bodhi waved for Leia to come to them.  She got up after putting her things down at the table in front of her and joined them.  Jyn noted how suspicious Cassian looked, but turned her attention back to her friend.

“Jyn said she’d do it!” Bodhi exclaimed.

A smile crossed Leia’s lips.  “Wonderful!  Oh, Jyn, you won’t regret it, I promise!  Wait here!”  She then ran back over to Cassian and Kes, grabbed something out of her bag, then made her way back to Jyn and Bodhi.  She gave Jyn a piece of paper which had a schedule mapped out on it.  “This will be our meeting schedule for the first semester.  Second semester is when we film.  We have to be done by April, and I know it’s going to be pretty hectic but I know this is going to be an amazing project.”

Jyn smiled and looked at the schedule.  “Thanks, Leia,” she said.  “I needed this.”

Just then the five minutes were up and Chirrut called them all back to the stage.  Jyn returned to her marker and they picked up rehearsal again, carrying it out until the end of class.  She had a lot of work to do, and more than she had at the beginning of class now that she’d accepted being a part of Leia’s final project.

On her way to her next class, Jyn was startled by a voice from behind her.  “So what’d you have to do to get Leia to put you on her project?”

After having jumped and turned, Jyn saw it was Cassian standing beside her.  He stopped, towering over her, and she nearly shrunk to attempt avoiding confrontation.  “Nothing.  _She_ approached _me_.  Or rather Bodhi did.  All I did was suggest she use him as her director.  That’s it.”  Jyn then turned to continue walking to her class.

Cassian followed her.  “Oh so it was _Bodhi_ whom you had to convince.  Hmm, wonder what you might’ve had to do _there_.”

Jyn scoffed.  “I see what you’re trying to do here, Cassian, and I get it.  Okay?  I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have judged you.  It’s not something I’m good at, and I’m working on it.”

“Bullshit,” he said.  “You’re still looking at Shara with envy every time you’re out of character during rehearsal.”

“Rome wasn’t built in a day!” she defended, almost shrieking.  “What the fuck do you want from me, Cassian?!  You proved your point!”

He grabbed her arm and spun her around.  “I haven’t even gotten _started_ yet!” he exclaimed.  “I’m going to show you what it’s like to judge people before you even know them and how much it _sucks_.”

Jyn slapped him across the face after yanking her arm free of his grasp.  “Don’t _ever_ lay a hand on me _again_ or I’ll report you, you son of a bitch!”

Cassian, now touching his face where Jyn had slapped him, looked at her and was immediately regretful.  What had he done?  He saw the tears brimming in Jyn’s eyes and before he could say anything, she ran off towards her next class.

But before Jyn could even get there, she changed course and ran right for the dorm.  When she arrived, she threw herself onto her bed and sobbed harder into her pillow.  Just how broken was she?  And how many people had she hurt because of how badly her father had hurt _her_?  Would she ever truly get the chance to change if someone like Cassian Andor was going to be there to throw everything back in her face?

More over… especially if it was something she deserved?

=

After watching Jyn run off, Cassian made his way to Galen’s office and sunk down in the chair in a panic.  “I did a bad thing.”

Galen looked up from his paperwork and put his pen down.  “That’s a first.”

Cassian looked down.  “I… touched Jyn.  _Grabbed_ her by her arm.  _Hard_.  Harder than I meant to.  I was just trying to get her to stop so I could talk to her and… I was so angry, I let the anger get the best of me and I—”

He was stopped by the sound of Galen’s chair sliding across the floor, slowly, making a very irritating sound in the process.  Cassian slowly looked up and saw Galen stand, slowly move around his desk, and then stand beside him.  He waited in fear as to what was going to happen, but the look on Galen’s face did not suggest that it was going to be pleasant.

And it wasn’t.

Galen grabbed Cassian and pulled him up from the chair, slamming him against the wall.  Pointing a finger in his face, Galen said, “If you _ever_ touch her like that _again_ , I will _kill_ you.  Do you understand me?”

All Cassian could do was nod in understanding, his face pleading for Galen to let him go.

When he did, Cassian stumbled a bit.  Galen then went back to his desk and sat down.  “Was I wrong about you, Cassian?  Are you _not_ the person to watch out for my Jyn?”

“Galen—” Cassian started.

“Because it seems to me like you don’t get it.  I _destroyed_ her.  After her mother was murdered and I abandoned her to pay my debts to Krennic, she changed.  It wasn’t for the better.  And I see her now, just how much I shaped who she is today, and I don’t like it.  That doesn’t mean I don’t want her to change, or to be safe.  And I can’t trust her in the hands of someone who isn’t able to help her; someone who is going to get pissy at the first sign of trouble.”  Galen pulled his seat forward and crossed his arms in front of him on his desk.  “So I’m going to tell you what you’re going to do, Cassian.  You’re going to get rid of that Anysa girl and you’re going to put Jyn in your project, or so help me God I will make sure you fail in this business before you even get started.”

Cassian was terrified.  He had never seen Galen like this before.  It reminded him of Krennic, and it made him realize just how dedicated Galen was when it came to Jyn’s safety.  The man had powerful connections after all.  Why would Cassian jeopardize that?  He’d done a stupid, _stupid_ thing here, something he knew he shouldn’t have done, but by impulse he’d done it anyway.  And that went deeper into issues of _Cassian’s_ that he hadn’t confronted about himself.

“Do I make myself clear?” Galen asked.

Slowly, Cassian swallowed hard and nodded.  “Yes, Sir,” he replied quietly.

Picking up his pen, Galen said, “Good.  Now get out of my office.”

Cassian didn’t have to be told twice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so, so, so, so, so, SO sorry it took so long to update! I got involved with a couple of big projects for the end of the semester, plus finals, so writing was limited and I was extremely stressed out! (Also TLJ happened and I got swept up in all things Damerey.) But rest assured that I am BACK and jumping into this again with the full force of everything I have! Chapter 8 coming soon! =]


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shara saves the day for Cassian.

**Legend Has It  
Chapter 08**

_“As you search the embers_  
 _Think what you’ve had, remember_  
 _Hang on, don’t you let go now_  
 _You know, with every heartbeat, we love_  
 _Nothing comes easy_  
 _Hang on, ask the lonely”_  
-Journey, _“Ask The Lonely”_

“Jyn could you come out here, please?”

Jyn lifted her head up from the pillow.  It had been hours since she returned to the dorm, skipping her second class of the day, and at some point Shara had joined her but didn’t converse.  That was mostly due to Jyn’s refusal to do so.  She was too upset about how much of a trainwreck she was.  It was clear to everyone, it had to be, but Cassian was the only one to say it to her face.

Cheeks tender from the tears she’d cried, Jyn scrunched her face and shook her head, trying to snap out of her state of self pity.  She sighed and got up, going over to the door of the dorm where Shara was standing.  When she arrived, she found that Shara was standing at the door with Cassian on the other side.

“Go away,” Jyn said, turning to go back.  She didn’t want to see him.  Who the hell did he think he was showing up here after the stunt he’d just pulled a few hours prior?

Shara stopped her.  “Jyn, wait,” she said.  “Please, hear him out.  I know you’re upset, but it shouldn’t stay this way.  Please just… please, listen to him.  You’ll feel better after you do, I promise.”

Jyn sighed and looked back at Cassian who was pleading with his eyes for her to speak with him.  What the hell was his deal anyway?  She supposed she wouldn’t know until she listened.  “Fine,” she said.  With that, Shara left the room and Cassian stepped inside.  The door closed and Jyn crossed her arms.  “You have two minutes,” she said.  “Say your piece, then leave.”

“I’m sorry, Jyn,” he said.  “I didn’t mean to grab you that hard.  I was just trying to get you to stop.  And I was already riled up about the whole situation, I let my emotions get the best of me and… that’s not like me at all.  I never act that way, you can ask anybody that knows me, even Shara.  I know you don’t have to believe any of that, but it’s the truth.”  He then paused for a brief moment.  “And… I know you’re going to therapy with Malbus.  I shouldn’t have mocked you about it.  Bodhi told me everything and now I feel like an asshole.”

She snorted.

He continued, “You have every right to be angry with me about what I did.  And at first I wasn’t going to let how you were acting get in my way, but it did and… I don’t know why, but it’s irrelevant.  The point is… everyone told me you were the best one that came to audition for my show.  And I was too stubborn to admit that I agreed with them.  So… I cast someone else out of spite, and that was a mistake.”

Jyn’s eyes widened.  “Wait wait wait,” she stopped him.  “Are you seriously coming here to ask me to be in your show after the way you acted earlier?  Apology or not, do you _really_ think that’s a wise idea?  I hope you didn’t already let Anysa go because there’s no way in hell I’m working with you now.  I’ve already got enough on my plate now that I’m committed to Leia’s project.”

Cassian went to step forward but stopped himself.  He didn’t want to overreact again and get himself into more trouble.  “Jyn, please,” he begged, “the request came from Dean Krennic _himself_.  And your father _really_ thinks you should do it.  If nothing else, do it for Galen, not for me.”

She laughed, completely amused by that.  “Do it for my father?  Seriously?  Are you out of your fucking mind?”  She shook her head.  “No.  No, just… no, Cassian, get the fuck out of my dorm room.  I never want to see your face again outside of class, do you hear me?”  Jyn pushed him towards the door.

“Jyn, _please_ , hear me out—” Cassian begged.

“No,” she said firmly.  “I’m done with you.  I may have my problems, but at least I’m aware of them.  _You_ on the other hand are borderline _bi-polar_.  I never want to see you outside of necessary circumstances again, and I will _not_ say it a third time.”

Then… Cassian shouted something she didn’t expect.

“I HAVE TO KEEP YOU SAFE!”

Jyn stopped, hand inches away from the door handle she was about to grab, and looked at Cassian.  She almost didn’t want to believe that was a real statement, just something he’d shouted in a last ditch attempt to keep her listening to him.  But for thirty more seconds, she supposed, she would humor him.  And after telling him such, he continued on.

“Jyn, your father wants me to keep an eye on you.  Keep you safe,” Cassian explained, his tone now desperate.  “Krennic is a threat to you since that you’re here, and Galen can’t act like he’s interesting in a relationship with you.  He struck some sort of deal with Krennic long ago, I don’t know what about, but it had something to do with your mother’s death.  Galen had to protect you by agreeing to whatever Krennic wanted, and that meant leaving you behind.  He never thought you’d come here, but once he found out you had, he asked me to look after you.  And he believes the only way I can do that is if we’re working together.”

That seemed like quite the story.  Jyn wasn’t sure she could believe it, though, since Cassian was a damn good actor.  He could have pulled that story out of his ass just now so she would agree to work with him.  “How do I know you’re telling the truth?” she asked.  “That could’ve been some elaborate story you just made up.”  While she believed her father’s distance had something to do with Krennic, she couldn’t know it for sure.  And even if she asked Galen herself, she doubted he would tell her.

Cassian replied, “You don’t know.  And I know you have no reason to trust me, but Jyn… please.  _Please_.  Hear what I’ve said.  I swear to you, I wasn’t supposed to tell you any of this, but your father cannot appear to be involved in this.  And I can’t fail him.  Failing him means failing Krennic… and that’s a stain I don’t want on my being.”

This was insanity.  There was no way on Earth this was true.  Jyn shook her head and grabbed the door to slam it in his face.  “I don’t believe you.  Go away, Cassian.”

Then she slammed the door and locked it.

=

Cassian was numb.  He’d told Jyn the truth and she didn’t believe him.

Why was he even surprised?  To her it probably seemed like he was bi-polar or some shit, much in the same way he thought _she_ was.  Cassian backed away from the door and ended up stopping when he could go no further, back against the opposite wall and slid down to the ground.  What the hell was he going to do?

Shara approached him and sat down by his side.  “Hey,” she said.  “So you struck out, huh?”

“I really fucked it up, Shar,” he said.  “What am I gonna tell Galen?”

“Nothing,” she said.  “Let me have a talk with her.  I’ll convince her you’re telling the truth and she would be doing the right thing by working with you.”

He shook his head.  “But the way she looks at you during rehearsals in class… how are you not bothered by that?”

His friend shrugged.  “I’m used to it.  Don’t think people didn’t look at me that way in Miami.  I’m aware of who I am.  I’m the bubbly, overly positive girl who seems like she shouldn’t be good at anything, but is surprisingly good at acting.”

“You’re not just good,” Cassian told her, “you’re _amazing_.  And no one, especially not Jyn Erso, should envy you for that.”

Shara chuckled.  “You know what business we’re trying to get into right?  There’s a whoooole lot of envy and hatred that go around in this city.  Los Angeles too.  Everywhere the industry goes.  You either gotta learn to deal with it or you better stay away.  It’s like they say, “If you can’t take the heat, get outta the kitchen.”  Right?”

Cassian grinned.  “Right.”

She kissed his cheek, then stood up.  “Hang in there, Cassian.  I’ll be right back.”  With that she went into her room and left him alone in the hallway.  He figured he’d humor her and wait about five minutes, but after that he would leave if neither she nor Jyn had come out.  From outside he heard some faint yelling but that was all Jyn, not Shara.

Just as the five minutes were up and he was rising from the floor, Cassian stopped when the door opened and Jyn stepped out.  She pulled the door closed behind her.  All Cassian could do was stand there and wait to see what she had to say.

“Look,” she said after a long spell of silence fell between them, sighing heavily and crossing her arms.  “I don’t believe a word you said about Galen and Krennic.  But Shara seems to think that I should do your project anyway.  So… fine.  I’ll do your stupid project with you.  But I’m already obligated to several other things so _you’re_ gonna have to work around _my_ schedule.”

It was just a relief that she’d said yes.  “Don’t worry,” Cassian said.  “I’ll do whatever I have to do.  Come see me before class starts on Wednesday.  I’ll give you everything you need then.”  All Jyn did was nod, so Cassian left it at that and walked away.

Jyn simply shook her head, rolled her eyes, and walked back into her dorm room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit shorter than the previous ones, but I really wanted to get it out before I started the next section. Chapter 09 coming soon!


End file.
